Alien Desolation
by ThatRandomDudeKyon
Summary: Amanda, after surviving the scarring events aboard the Sevastopol, was left stranded in space with no rescue in sight. However, fate it seems has other plans for Amanda; when a passing Cargo ship rescues the frigid survivor, the crew yearns to uncover her story, and demand explanations when a lethal creature is found on board.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

 _They were after her._

She would have to act fast. Time was running out, and even the slightest hesitation could end in disaster. Amanda Ripley panted heavily as she pulled down on the Emergency Release lever on the control panel. Behind her, the two giant metal arms holding the USCSS Torrens in place released, lifting into the air as they freed the ship from the docking bay.

 _They had spotted her._

Without a second thought, Amanda turned her back to the control panel, repositioning herself so that she was standing horizontally, with her feet firmly planted into the side of the control panel. Carefully so that she wouldn't drift away, she bent her legs as far as the thick spacesuit would allow.

"Ripley? Ripley are you still there?" Verlaine's frantic voice called into her helmet. The frightened captain's voice was beginning to soften under the deafening sounds of groaning, grinding metal behind her.

 _They were still attached_.

The emergency release bolts! She would have to blow them in order to allow the Torrens to rip free from the station. Kicking off from the control panel, Amanda soared towards the other side of the platform before catching herself on one of the several metal railings that lined the outer rim of the pad. Pulling herself upright, she faced a new set of controls embedded in a small black container resembling a suitcase. On the inside were a series of words in large red print, but she didn't have time to read them.

She knew what she had to do.

Reaching inside, she pulled out the first fusion coil. It came out slowly, much to Amanda's agony. As she began working on the second one, she spared a glance over the top of the container.

 _They were coming_.

She could see them, even in the midst of crashing debris and emergency lights. She could see their smooth, shiny black skin, blinking in and out of existence as the emergency lights flickered on and off in succession. She could see their tails, their sharp, barbed tails twirling eagerly behind them as they closed in on their prey.

Quickly she began pulling out the third coil. Time seemed to slow to an agonizing crawl as the coil slowly pulled itself upwards at a constant rate, despite however hard Amanda pulled on it. Finally, she reached for the fourth one. She didn't even bother to peak over this time. If they had reached the catwalk, it would only be a matter of minutes before they found her. She needed to act fast.

As the fourth coil lifted into place, the platform suddenly gave a long groan as the clamps twisted and cracked against the growing forces that pulled it towards the large orange Gas Giant beneath them. Adrenaline exploded through her veins as Amanda scrambled towards the railing behind her. Reaching towards her chest, she whipped out a grappling line, and hooked herself to the Torrens.

Behind her, Sevastopol groaned and screamed at her, reminding her of the situation at hand: The station was falling towards KG-348, a large gas giant it had been orbiting around. If she didn't release the clamps now, Sevastopol and the Torrens would be pulled into a fiery doom.

Amanda spun around again, allowing her eyes to gaze at the carnage around her. Sevastopol Station was falling, moaning helplessly as its foundations were pushed to their limits. She could almost hear the station's supercomputer repeating it's usual drawl:

"Orbital Stabilizers offline. Abandon station. Abandon station."

She reached the control panel, and her eyes quickly began panning over the rows of keys looking for the familiar ENTER key. As her eyes scanned the keys, she noticed movement from the reflection of her glass visor. Unable to deny her curiosity, she allowed her eyes to flit to her right.

 _They were here._

It was now or never. Ripping her eyes from their gleaming jaws, Amanda's frantic eyes surveyed the keyboard once more. She could hear their claws clambering over the metal platform as they closed in. They were getting close. She was almost there. They were getting closer. One last row.

There.

With every muscle in her body, she threw herself at the key, smashing her pointer finger into the ENTER button near the bottom of the console. The harness attached to her chest ripped her off her feet, pulling her through open space from behind like a kite. Amanda's head slammed into the back of her helmet as the G-forces pressed down upon her face. Waving her arms about madly, she desperately searched for a something to grab. _Anything to grab_.

In the distance, Sevastopol was heading towards it's doom. She couldn't see it of course. The cord had pulled her back so haphazardly, that she had been sent into a continuous, never ending somersault. The only thing she _could_ see was KG-348, the orange and white gas giant, spinning in and out of focus, over and over again, until it began to hurt looking at it. Amanda drew her eyes to the rim of her visor, keeping her eyes focused on the tiny bolts and wiring that held her suit together.

"Ripley?" Verlain's voice called again. Amanda had never been so grateful to hear her voice. She had barely known her on their trip to Sevastopol, but after all that had happened, _any_ human voice was welcome. "Ripley are you there? Jesus christ please tell me you're there!"

"I'm here! I-I'm here Verlaine!" Amanda croaked. It was hard to talk without feeling nauseous. "I can't see you! I don't know where I am!"

"Keep your breathing stabilized! You'll run out of oxygen in that suit!" Verlaine responded. "I see you. I'm going to bring her closer to your position. I've got Connor suited up to get you, hold on!"

"Ok!" Amanda said shakily. She hated spacewalking from the moment they left the Torrens to board Sevastopol. The explosion that cut their line didn't help her experience at all. Now, here she was, floating around wildly without any idea where she was, after nearly being sucked down into a gas giant with a crippled space station infested with those _things_. The thought of all that had happened began to overload her mind, and Amanda began hyperventilating.

"Your breathing is up again! Just hold on a minute!" Verlaine called, but Amanda had tuned her out. She couldn't hold on any longer. She wanted to close her eyes, and sleep, sleep until she could forget the entire thing, as if it had been one big nightmare. An arm wrapped itself around her waist, and she could feel herself being dragged to the side. Through blurry eyes, she could just make out Connor's suited figure leaning over her, calling something. Suddenly, his head whipped up like a deer in the woods, and he sprinted down the hallway out of view.

She wanted to call out to him, ask him where he was going, but she soon found that she had lost the strength to speak, and her willpower to keep her eyes open was fading. Slowly, the white paneling of the ceiling began to become more and more unfocused. Finally, she allowed her eyes to close.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

 _Date: November 20th, 2137_

 _Location: Mars Colony, Residential District_

 _¨Thomas….I….something happened yesterday….something….something terrible…." Thomas had never seen Kati like this before. Though her face was harder to see through the computer screen, he could still make out the subtle differences in her appearance._

 _Her black hair, which was usually nicely kept in a ponytail, was frayed and sweaty. Dark circles under her eyes told the story of several nights going without sleep. Her shirt was ragged, loosely hanging on her shoulders like she had just thrown it on before calling him. But the worst was her eyes. If he focused on them long enough, he could just make out the subtle flitting of her pupils as they darted around, focusing on one thing after the other._

" _Kati are you alright? Have you been sleeping?" Those were his first questions. Her physical health was the first thing that concerned him upon seeing her ragged image pop up on his computer screen. The woman looked away for a moment, as if asking herself the same question, before turning back to the screen,_

" _No Thomas….I…..I haven't slept in 2 days…." Kati confessed. As she blinked, her eyelids held closed for a couple seconds, refreshing the dried surfaces of her eyes. "Something happened a few days ago….I can't get it out of my head…."_

" _What is it? What happened?" Thomas asked purely out of concern. If he knew what was bothering so much, maybe he could offer to help her. It didn't help either of them if she kept him in the dark._

" _A woman came to the station a week ago….Katherine Foster….she had this….thing….on her face. I tried to get it off, but It wasn't any use. We couldn't remove it without hurting her….it….it was wrapped around her….like a parasite…." Kati began. The whole thing sounded like something from a science fiction novel. Thomas listened in silence, begging for her to go on._

" _After a couple of days, the thing came off on it's own. Died on its own. We thought….we thought everything was going to be ok…." She began choking up, her breaths becoming more labored and forced. Before Thomas could ask her to stop for a moment to breathe, she managed to catch herself and slow her rapid breathing._

" _A day later, she woke up. She seemed fine. We told her we needed to do an examination on her but she kept insisting on seeing her husband Marlow, the captain of the ship she arrived on." Kati paused, focusing on her breathing as she came to the climax of her story. "Before we could get her restrained, she began twisting, and writhing on the ground. We thought it was a seizure or something….and then….and then this….thing, explodes from her chest! Blood everywhere! God I….I was so scared! I….I've never seen…." Kati lowered her head into her arms on the desk in front of her. Thomas sat in shock for a few minutes, wondering just what he could say to comfort her. Then it hit him. He had decided._

" _I'm coming to Sevastopol." The words hit Kati like a freight train. Her head bolted up from her arms in an instant, looking at the screen in shock._

" _You what?" She asked in bewilderment. Thomas shook his head, dispelling any second thoughts about the decision that had prodded his mind._

" _You've obviously had some serious trauma. Or at least, you think you have. All that time in space isn't doing you any good, and you need a friendly face around. I'm coming to Sevastopol. It'll be fun, we'll share a few drinks, shoot some pool, and I'll help you get over this fear of yours-"_

" _It's not a fear Thomas!" Her voice suddenly cut in, grounding his to a halt. Closing her eyes, she brought her hand to her forehead to brush some loose strands of hair from her face. Once the stray hairs were brushed aside, she opened her eyes. They no longer looked frightened, instead, they looked determined._

" _Something came out of that woman Thomas. Some sort of….alien. Security still hasn't found it, and I'm worried….I'm worried it could pose a lethal threat to the people on board this station. Thomas please….stay on Mars. You've got something good going for yourself….I don't want you putting yourself in danger because of me." She stopped, looking at him for a reaction. She was hoping she could dissuade his heroic plans of coming to her rescue. She didn't want him there. Not because she didn't enjoy his presence, but because she was worried for his safety. That creature was still on the loose, and if he came and it proved to be dangerous…..she didn't know how she would be able to cope. Unfortunately, Thomas's face remained the same, his furrowed eyebrow showing nothing but concern for her wellbeing. It would've been flattering if he wasn't being so stupid._

" _I'm sorry Kati. You know I can't do that. I'm going to take the next transport I find and I'll meet you at the terminal. I'll call as frequently as I can. Don't worry about it, everything will be fine." With those final words sinking into her mind, Thomas decided to end the call. He didn't want to prolong the conversation when he knew she would only throw more protests at him to stay away._

 _Closing the laptop, Thomas pushed away from his desk, and stood up in his chair. His eyes looked around his small apartment, eying some of the things he would need to bring. If he was going to go to Sevastopol, he needed to start packing._

Date: December 13th, 2137

Location: Zeta Reticuli region

Ship: Achilles

Thomas's eyes cracked open. A bright light flooded his eyes, forcing him to close them again. He wanted to go back to sleep. He was so tired, so exhausted. He flexed his fingers, trying to regain feeling in his arm. Slowly, he tried to open his eyes again. This time, the blinding light wasn't as intense, and his eyes slowly focused on the ceiling above him.

There was a face above him. It was pale, with short, well trimmed brown hair, and a light stubble on his chin and cheeks. It took him a while to realize he was staring into his own face, a reflection off of the thin layer of glass that hung above him.

Suddenly, his body kicked into action, and his stomach lurched with it's new awakening. A feeling of nausea swept over him, and Thomas soon found his hands clawing at the glass dome in an effort to push it off.

With a quiet hiss, and the light click of the cryopod disengaging the locking sequence, the glass door above him slowly raised into the air. Thomas wasted no time at all before sitting up, and grabbing at the walls of the metal container. Grasping firmly at the sides, Thomas pulled himself out of his cryopod, and pushed his legs over the side.

Across from him, stood several other cryopods, each opening at their own pace. He paid them no mind. The contents writhing in his stomach, threatening to force their way out of his mouth were his primary concern at the moment.

Lowering his legs, his feet smacked against the cold metal floor of the ship, sending a shiver up his spine. Letting go of the cryopod, Thomas nearly slammed his head against the ground as his legs gave way beneath him. All of his time spent in cryosleep must've caused his leg muscles to weaken. Though, he wondered how long staying in cryosleep would it take to leave degenerative effects on one's leg muscles. Just how long was he asleep for?

Thomas grabbed the side of the cryopod, and using it as a crutch, he lifted himself back onto his feet. Standing as straight up as his back would allow him, he quickly surveyed the room for anything suitable for a good puking. Finally, his eyes rested on a silver trash can near a row of lockers. Without a second thought, Thomas hobbled over to the trash can, his legs aching after being asleep for so long.

Collapsing to his knees, Thomas reached the trash can, and quickly threw off the lid. Bending over, the young psychiatrist let out a gurgled howl as he vomited into the silver waste basket. Thomas grasped the edges of the can firmly, writhing as he emptied his stomach. Everything felt wrong. It felt like his organs had been liquified and puddled at the bottom of his gut, and now he was throwing them up into the trash can. Then there was the smell! The odor attacked his nostrils, sending all new waves of nausea into his stomach. His mind was frenzied, racing to catch up with the sudden sequence of events.

In his haste, Thomas had barely noticed the other figures emerging from their cryopods in the room. As he coughed up one last mouthful of vomit, a voice called to him from across the room.

"Hey Doc, you doin' alright?" It was a man's voice, and frankly, the only voice on the ship that Thomas had come to recognize. The voice was deep, and smooth, and belonged to the captain of the ship, a man named Jonathan. Thomas didn't know his last name. Then again, he barely knew the names of anyone on this ship, so knowing his first name was good enough for him.

He could hear the footsteps of the captain nearing him, and he slowly tilted his head to face the approaching man.

"I feel….terrible…." Thomas muttered, nearly throwing up again after speaking. Jonathan chuckled, and knelt down next to him.

"First time huh?" Thomas nodded, and Jonathan grinned a knowing smile, "Yup. Always feels like shit the first time. I remember my first time, you remember Jack?" Jonathan looked over to a bald, bearded man, sporting tattoos marked all over his muscled arms.

"How could I forget? You threw up on me. Got it stuck right in my beard! Smelled like crap the rest of the day!" Just the thought of the smell forced Thomas to spin around and heave another load into the trashcan. A round of laughter echoed behind him. A hand clapped on his shoulder, and Jonathan's face appeared beside him.

"Come on. Let's get you freshened up."

Jonathan led Thomas to the showers. As they walked, the black hallways sparked to life as the lights flickered on around them, bringing life back into the hollow ship. Each hallway was octagonal in shape, with smooth glass flooring and white cushioning on the walls, likely to prevent injury in case of an emergency. Jonathan had given him a towel to wrap around his shivering figure, and led him to a door on the far side of the hall.

"Shower's are in there. I'll get one of the guys to get you some spare clothes and bring it to you. When you're done, you can meet us in the mess hall. Hannah says it's always good to eat up after these things; helps reboot your metabolism you know? You know what they say, 'doctor's orders', amiright?" The captain chuckled and patted him on the back before walking off. Thomas watched him leave, before approaching the door. The door opened automatically with a hiss, and he stepped inside.

Taking a shower had never felt as relaxing as it had now. The feeling of the warm water running down his back calmed him. Unlike the cold confines of the ship, the water was warm, and gentle to the touch, caressing his body in an envelope of relief. The chilly shivers that followed him as the captain led him to the showers were gone.

Rinsing the last bit of soap out of his hair, Thomas reached for the faucet and turned off the water. He stood, listening to the last bits of water dripping out of the shower head as his mind wandered. Finally, it rested on his purpose aboard this ship, the reason he had come in the first place: Kati.

Was she ok? The others had told him that they had been asleep for just under a month. A lot could happen in under a month. He only hoped that she was ok, and that she had managed to calm down. Sevastopol may not have been the most exquisite station at the time, but it was once a great port for frontier ships and mining freighters. No doubt the security there was top notch - they would be able handle this 'creature'.

Alien. That was what she had called it. An Alien that burst through a woman's chest. It was hard to believe. Without any evidence to back her story up, Thomas found himself doubting Kati's mental integrity during the call. She hadn't slept for 2 days. She was basically running on adrenaline at that point. She wouldn't be thinking straight, her mind was on overload. Surely she had imagined some sort of alien disaster while she had an incident at the hospital.

Deciding to put the case at rest for later, he climbed out of the showers, and into the locker room. Sitting on a bench in the middle of the alley of lockers sat a lone pile of clothes. Thomas eyed the clothes, grabbing the shirt and raising it to his face to get a better look at it. It was a simple button up company shirt, complete with the Weyland-Yutani corporation insignia stitched into the sleeve. Thomas slipped on the shirt, along with a baggy pair of black cargo pants, and a pair of boots. Once he was dressed, Thomas looked at himself in one of the bathroom mirrors. His hair was the first thing that caught his attention, looking unkempt and messy. Using his hand as an acting comb, he ran his fingers through his hair in an attempt to make himself look more presentable. Taking a step back, he looked at his handiwork, and decided it wouldn't get much better than that, and exited through the main door.

Jonathan had told him to report to the med bay for an examination. Apparently, all personnel needed to have a full medical check-up before being deemed 'fit for duty'. Thomas didn't mind, and in fact, he was quite happy; cryosleep had toyed with his insides, and he was intent on making sure everything was right where it should be. The only problem was, Jonathan had neglected to tell him exactly where the med bay was located.

The Achilles was a large ship, from what Thomas had seen on the outside. It was one of those commercial cargo ships, carrying mineral ore from planet to planet. Currently, Thomas had caught them in the middle of their trip, from KG-429, just on the outer rim of the new frontier, to Sevastopol station for a refueling. They had stopped at Terminus III, a small station sitting between the two.

The flight to Terminus hadn't been comfortable. The only ships that ever went to this portion of the galaxy were old commercial ships and construction vehicles. The new frontier had moved on, leaving the old one behind. The stations that had once been the threshold of commercial activity, were now desolate and deserted, much like Sevastopol.

The sound of laughing called from down the hallway. Unsure as where to go, Thomas decided to follow the call of social interaction. At the end of the hallway, an open doorway led into a wide room that was, he believed, the mess hall. Bright white lights hung overhead, illuminating the wide tables that sat below. Thomas could see several crewmates lounging around, eating food and talking with the others. Like the new kid on the first day of school entering the cafeteria, Thomas stood at the entrance awkwardly, looking for a place to sit. Thankfully, he didn't have to search long.

"Dr. Foster." Upon hearing his name, Thomas spun around to find Jonathan standing right behind him. "You look a little confused." He pointed out. It was obvious that Thomas was out of place. In all his time in space, he had never had the privilege of riding aboard such a low class vehicle. The only ships he ever rode in were transport ships and shuttles for transportation to and from Earth. This ship was something completely different. It was like comparing the Titanic to a pirate ship. The crew on board were rowdy, and seemingly undisciplined. Thomas only hoped that they would hold more composure when introduced to an emergency.

"Yes, well, quite frankly I am." The words had come out more contemptuous than he had hoped, and Thomas hoped the captain wouldn't have a negative reaction. If he did, he seemed to stow it away under a grim smile, before clearing his throat.

"Well, you shouldn't worry too much, since we're almost at Sevastopol. Speaking of which," The captain then looked upward, into the ceiling. Thomas followed his gaze, hoping to find something in particular that the captain was looking at, only to find he was staring at the plain metal ceiling. "Mother? What is our distance from Sevastopol?"

Mother? What was mother? Thomas was about to ask the captain if he too was beginning to feel under the weather after being in space for so long, but before he could, a voice answered back,

"Error. Error. Unable to calculate distance from destination. Destination not found. Error. Error." A mechanical female voice responded. The one Jonathan had called 'Mother', must be one of those old A.I. units that helped run the ships. Thomas had heard of them before, but had never encountered one in person. They were supposedly top of the line computers, but if that was true, how could it not find their destination, after bringing them so far? Judging by the captain's face, Thomas waged he was thinking the same thing.

"That's strange." He muttered, "Alright, Mother. What's our distance from the last recorded orbit of Sevastopol station?" The two men waited for a moment before the machine answered,

"We are approximately 400 miles from the station's previous orbital position, and closing." Thomas could see that, even though Mother had answered him correctly this time, he still looked uneasy. Setting down the lunch tray he was holding, Jonathan walked over to one of the tables and pointed to three crewmen.

"Alice, Will, Jaimie. Follow me, I need you at the bridge now." Two women and a man stood up from the table and followed Jonathan as he made a beeline to the exit. The captain marched past Thomas as though he had forgotten his existence. Not wanting to stray too far from the only person he knew, Thomas decided to follow the others to the bridge.

The bridge of the Achilles was a much smaller room than the mess hall. The room was cluttered with computer screens and machinery. As one delved deeper to the front of the room, the ceiling seemed to become lower, as monitors and other computers hung from the roof like stalactites. Thomas had to duck as he followed the narrow pathway that led between the rows of desks and computer monitors, making his way to the front.

"Can someone give me a visual on the station?" He could hear the captain's voice ask.

"No sir. I can't get a reading on it." A female voice responded. Thomas pushed his way past the last row of computers to the front of the room. The wall at the front of the room was no wall at all, instead, it was a giant glass window, split into sections, like a spider web of sheet metal. Two terminals were situated near the front, just next to the window.

"Alice, I need you to do a long range sensor scan of the area." Jonathan ordered the short, blonde haired woman sitting at one of the front terminals.

"Jamie, open a channel to the Sevastopol." Next to Thomas, sitting in a large chair bolted to the floor, was a woman of asian descent, with short black hair that fell to her shoulders. Leaning over her own keyboard, she pressed a series of buttons Thomas didn't recognize, and turned her chair around so that she faced the captain, giving him a thumbs up.

"This is the commercial vessel Achilles out of Terminus III, our registration number is MSV-7662, calling Sevastopol traffic control do you copy? Over?" Silence. You'd think working at a desk on station on Mars would leave one accustomed to the never ending absence of sound, but you would be wrong. To say in the least, Thomas was becoming _very_ uncomfortable. Space had never been so quiet. At his office, people would walk past his door or call his name on the intercom. Hell even the silent bubbling of water from his fish tank was more soothing than this eerie silence. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, Captain Jonathan decided to try again.

"This is Captain Jonathan Baker of the USS Achilles, please respond?" More silence. Thomas looked at the others, hoping something like this had happened before. Maybe there was a communication problem? Maybe someone on station was playing a practical joke on them, and would pick up any minute. But no response came, and Thomas was beginning to feel worried. Where was Sevastopol? Where was Kati? Where was anyone? After another painful period of waiting, Alice decided to break the fog of numbness that had enveloped them all.

"Maybe….maybe they're….gone?" Her words would've taken Thomas by shock had he not been thinking the same thing. Jonathan brought up his fingers to the bridge of his nose, and closed his eyes. He stood there, motionless for a moment, before opening them again.

"Alice, do a navigational scan for any large traces of nitric oxide." Alice's eyebrows raised in sudden realization before turning back to her terminal and obliging the captain. Thomas, however, was still confused.

"Captain," Jonathan looked towards Thomas, surprised to find the Psychiatrist still with them on the bridge, "Why are you searching for traces of nitric oxide?"

"Because Dr. Foster, thrusters emit large quantities of nitric acid when ignited. Sevastopol's orbital position around KG-348 required constant repositioning from it's gravitational equalizers." The captain began. Thomas was beginning to catch on to where he was going,

"And you're going to use it as a tracer to find the station." He finished. Jonathan nodded, a small smile forming at the corner of his mouth before disappearing all together.

"I've got it! There!" Alice pointed over to her monitor, leading the captain from his chair to get a closer inspection. On the green glass window, was a large graph, with a curved line bending around KG-348. Alice's finger traced the line as it circled round the planet. "Large traces of nitric oxide sir." The navigator confirmed.

"Good. Send those readings to Will. Will," The captain finally turned to the last crewmember on the bridge. The dark skinned man looked at the captain, waiting for his order. "Lock on to the coordinates Alice is sending you now. I want you to follow those nitric oxide emissions so that we follow the previous orbit of Sevastopol." The man, whom Thomas could only assume was the pilot, nodded in acknowledgement before grabbing hold of two joysticks built into the sides of his chair.

The world as Thomas knew it suddenly took a gentle lurch forward, nearly sending the surprised psychiatrist onto his back. Thanks to his quick movements, Thomas grabbed one of the nearby chairs to prevent from falling. A light chuckle emitted from the center of the room from Jonathan as he watched the display.

"You might want to buckle up doctor. You're not in kansas anymore." Thomas carefully spun the chair around and sat into it, pulling the safety buckles around his waist, and fastening them with a click. The Achilles groaned as the engines came to life, slowly nudging the craft in it's desired position. As the ship moved, Thomas watched through the great glass window as the world shifted.

The great red planet, known as KG-348 gradually ate up the view, eventually covering the entire bridge in a light shade of orange. Below them, large clouds of smoke swirled about on the planet's troposphere. As the ship lunged toward the red planet, small particles came into view, like dust floating in rays of sunshine. At first, Thomas was afraid they had run into an asteroid field, but his suspicions were suddenly put to rest at the sight of….

"Is that….a barrel?" Jamie quietly muttered. Nonetheless, her comment had been heard over the muffled humming of the engines. Jonathan leant forward in his chair, squinting his eyes.

"It is." He replied plainly. If he was shocked, as the rest of them were, his voice didn't show it. His stoic complexion deflected any signs of emotion.

"How…." Thomas couldn't help but speak up. Though there were many possibilities as to how the object had found itself in the cold vacuum of space, one in particular came to mind. Somehow, a breach had been made at Sevastopol. His fears only doubled in size when another object came into view.

"Look!" Alice pointed out at the window. Everyone followed her gaze to a small cylindrical object spinning around in circles. It was a propane tank. The top had come off, and the object had likely been spinning out of control before the gas had completely left it's container.

"Alice, do another scan. Short range sensor. Keep parameters limited to ships and life forms only." The captain commanded, and Alice complied. Thomas could feel his heartbeat begin to increase in speed at the sight of every passing object. Barrel. Propane tank. Crate. Forklift. Thomas prayed he wouldn't see it. The one thing that would turn his worst fears into a reality….

"Jesus christ…." Everyone's attention turned to the window. Arms outstretched, back facing the window, was a body. A human body. Thomas's blood ran cold. His body froze. Silence, yet again, consumed the room. Thomas couldn't tear his eyes away.

As if flowing in a gentle blow of wind, the body floated across the window. The crew of the Achilles watched in pure shock as it turned over, facing them. It was a man, no older than 30. His hair waved about, as if he was underwater. It looked almost….peaceful. But his eyes. His eyes were anything but. Thomas couldn't tear himself away from them. Blood red. Frightened. Pure horror. The man's mouth hung open, as his corpse grasped for air that would never come.

Every possible worst outcome suddenly became a real possibility. What if terrorists had decided to destroy the station? What if someone opened an air lock and the station's old equipment failed to seal the leak? What if there was an explosion that killed everyone on board? Jonathan could see Thomas shivering from the corner of his eye.

"Jamie?" The voice caught the woman by surprise, and she jumped in her chair. "Jamie, get Hannah and Dennis up here. And get Emma up here too, she needs to be on the bridge." Even after that, Jonathan still retained his composure. The captain stared at her gently, waiting for her to register the command he had given her. When at last she had processed the order, she hailed the two crewmates. As she spoke through the intercom, Alice spoke up.

"Sir I don't think that-"

"It's not for him." Jonathan pointed a finger at Thomas. The poor psychiatrist slumped in his chair, his eyes glossy and unblinking, like a fish out of water. Alice nodded in acknowledgement before turning back to her monitor. Behind them, the door to the hallway opened, and three new sets of footsteps clapped into the desolate room.

"What's the problem?" A light, accented voice asked. Jonathan pointed a finger over at Thomas's shivering body, and a woman rushed over. Thomas sat lifelessly in his chair as the woman checked his pulse.

"The hell happened to him?" The man standing near the doorway asked. Jonathan didn't look at him, but merely pointed towards the glass window. Jonathan's eyes landed on the third figure in the room, a tall, well toned woman with fair skin and short black hair. The woman walked over to Jonathan, and stood at his side, staring at the situation around them.

"What's going on?" She asked him calmly. The captain looked back at the window and shook his head.

"I'm not sure yet." He responded truthfully. Before he could respond, the other man cursed under his breath.

"What in gods name is this?!" His raised voice was a drastic change in volume in the quiet room, and sent a shake through Thomas's startled body.

"Dennis please keep it down!" The woman begged. She turned back to Thomas, gently rubbing him on the shoulder. "He's fine Jon. Went into a stage of shock for a moment, but he seems fine. What's all the commotion about…." Her words slowed down as she too took in the sight of debris.

"Mein gott…."

"Alice. Do you have anything on that scan yet?" Jonathan turned his attention back to the navigator. The woman eyed the screen before letting out a light gasp.

"Oh-Oh my god! I've got something! There's-There's something out there!" Jonathan was at her side in an instant. His sudden movements nearly scared Alice out of her chair.

"What is it Alice. Where is it." Jonathan demanded. Alice pointed to the screen.

"Just 100 meters from our position. There."

"Barton! Close on these coordinates ASAP! Full throttle."

"Roger that." Will said, grasping hold of the joysticks again.

"Hannah, Dennis, get down to Medical."

"Jon you don't even know if that's a person. People can't survive out there for that long!" Dennis spoke up.

"I didn't ask for your opinion Dr. Ward, now get down to medical!" Jonathan yelled, breaking his usual stoic composure. Dennis glared at the captain silently and was prepared to give a response before his eyes landed on the other woman in the room. Emma. Dennis visibly shrunk in her gaze before following Hannah out of the room.

"Jamie, get Eric and Jack down in Airlock one ETA 5 minutes! Full E.V.A suits! Emma, you're in command while I'm out there." Taking a step forward, Emma nodded at Jonathan before walking over to the captain's chair and taking his place. Just as Jonathan was leaving the room, Hannah spoke up.

"Wait what about him?" Hannah asked, pointing to Thomas. The startled Psychiatrist looked better than he had before, but he was still unresponsive.

"Take him with you to medical."

 **~Five minutes later. Airlock One~**

Jonathan marched into the airlock where Jack and Eric were finishing putting on their helmets. The two men didn't wait for him to step through the door before speaking their minds.

"What the hell are we doing in here cap'n? We just got cleared from Doc, and I dunno if we're allowed to go on a space walk this soon after cryosleep." The southern mechanic questioned.

"I'm allowing it." Jonathan answered as he began to put on his own E.V.A suit. Eric, the ship's technical engineer, walked over to him and crouched down as Jon put on his suit.

"What are we really here for cap? I'd like to know what we're suiting up for before diving headfirst into it." Eric explained. Jonathan finished putting on his boots before answering the engineer,

"Sevastopol station isn't responding. In fact, I'm not even sure where _it is_."

"Woah, woah, woah, what's missin'?" Jack interrupted.

"As I said, Sevastopol station isn't where it was last reported. We've found debris floating around it's last coordinates. Alice picked up a life signature on our sensor scan. We're going to extract the survivor, and bring them aboard for questioning."

"Uh, excuse me, how do ya _lose_ a _space station?!_ Those things aren't exactly like those puzzle pieces ya can never find!" The mechanic's comments were ignored by Eric, who continued to question the captain as he finished putting on his gloves.

"How do you even know it's a person?" Eric questioned.

"What else would it be, Eric. An alien?" Jonathan answered cynically, "Emma? Emma are you there?" The captain called into the comms.

"Right here sir. Ready for your orders." Came the response.

"Good. How close are we?" The captain questioned, staring at the ceiling.

"We're just about 50 meters away. Any closer and we'll run into debris." The woman responded through the intercom.

"Good enough." Jonathan replied before looking at the two men, "Buckle up boys." The captain held out his hands to them, each holding a large metal clip attached to a thick cable. The two men accepted the clips, and hooked them onto their E.V.A suits. Once they were safely fastened, the three men turned towards the large metal door covered in black and yellow warning signs on the far side of the small room. Jonathan gave the cable a strong tug, confirming that it was secure. The others followed in suit, testing their equipment before giving Jonathan a thumbs up.

"Emma? Open airlock one." Jonathan ordered. The three men watched as the emergency light suddenly flashed on, sprinkling the room in orange light.

"Oxygen levels, depressurizing. Oxygen levels, depressurizing." Mother announced as clouds of steam jetted into the room in bursts of air. A loud clanking noise erupted from the door, and it slowly began to crack open. Jonathan's visor gradually lit up with light of the stars dancing off his helmet.

"In and out boys. Let's make this quick."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

The irritating buzzing of the alarm quietly drained out of Jonathan's ears. Before long, the only thing audible was his own breathing. Each intake of oxygen now felt like a struggle to breath. Each exhale sounded like a wind whispering into his ears. A small cloud of carbon monoxide grew on the interior of his helmet, fogging up the small portion near his mouth. With each breath, it grew in size, before quickly retreating into it's invisible state.

The doors of the airlock were now open, and the view before the three astronauts was something to behold. One could never truly explain wholly what they saw, or portray a description accurate enough to portray it's true beauty. Needless to say, the view always left one at a temporary loss for words. Jonathan's eyes glowed with kindled interest as the stars flashed before his eyes.

Speckled flares of white lights danced across his visor. They were different from the ones he'd stared at in the sky back home. The city was a loud, and crowded place. The only stars he was ever able to see were small, and pitiful. Even they, whose light barely managed to burn through the dark sky, were quickly blotted out by the thick blanket of clouds that always hung over the city. No, these stars were not like those in the city. They lit up the blackness of space with a new kind of life, one that he could not enjoy within the confines of the Achilles. It was out here, that one could truly enjoy the magnificence of space.

Beneath him, the humongous red planet glowed warmly, inviting him to it's inescapable presence. His eyes turned towards it, granting it his attention. Hanging just above it's orbit, lay their target; a scattered mess of debris with one lone white figure hiding amongst it.

"There she is boys. Our target." Jonathan announced, pointing his gloved fingers at the tiny white dot that stood out amongst the shards of gray metal. With the airlock now completely open, Jonathan reached up to his helmet to contact the Achilles,

"This is Extraction team to Achilles, testing comms. Are you receiving me?" The captain waited patiently for the response. Eric and Jack floated behind him, grasping the metal safety bars inside the room to avoid floating away.

"This is Achilles to Extraction team. We read you loud and clear, over?" Emma's firm voice brought a grin to Jack's face.

"Roger that. Achilles, depressurization sequence is now complete. Say, while we're out here, could you sing us a song with your lovely voice?" The mechanic jeered, his voice doing his best impression of Jonathan's deeper, more serious tone. Eric chuckled, elbowing him in the side, sending both astronauts bouncing against opposite sides of the airlock. Jonathan couldn't help but laugh with them, anxiously awaiting for Emma's response.

"Hawkins I would appreciate it if you took this operation more seriously, this is not something to joke around about." The security chief's condescending tone was just what the three men had been anticipating. Jack let out a childish giggle while Eric smirked silently. Jonathan just watched with a small smile on his face before deciding to respond to Emma before she continued on her motherly tirade.

"Affirmative Achilles, this is Jonathan. Requesting permission to retrieve the target, over?" There was a silence before any response was heard. Jonathan could only guess that Emma was trying to decide whether or not she believed them this time.

"Yeah you're a go just get the target already." Her short agitated response brought another fit of laughter out of Jack.

"Oh don't get yer panties in a twist chief, we'll get your shiny astronaut for ya." The mechanic jeered. Jonathan decided to proceed with the mission, ignoring the feud going on between the two shipmates. Just as one would push off from the wall while swimming, Jonathan gave the back wall a quick push, rocketing his body out of the confined metal room.

In a matter of seconds, the orange light that had flashed over his body was suddenly replaced by a natural glow. The stas reflected off of the white leather and metal platelets that made up his E.V.A suit. Eric and Jack, who were still arguing over comms with Emma, quickly followed suit, soaring just behind him by a couple of meters.

"-and I would prefer if you would refrain from speaking on comms when you are clearly not the one in command!" Emma's voice continued. Jack groaned, seemingly now tired of the woman's scolding. Reaching up for his helmet, he silenced his comms, and turned his head in his helmet towards his compatriot.

"Man, _I'd_ appreciate it if you could shut her up!" The mechanic begged. Even though he was determined to have his friend acknowledge his request, Jack kept his words light. Eric looked over at his friend's pitiful expression before sighing heavily.

"This is Eric to Achilles, over? Emma it's me." Another long pause.

"What is it now?" Came the security chief's irritated voice.

"If I let you punch him when we get back, will you stop yelling at him?" The offer caused the mechanic to lightly punch Eric in the arm. Eric looked at the mechanic, who was now sporting a sour face.

"Request accepted. I look forward to seeing you in the airlock Hawkins. Achilles out." Emma's voice sent a shiver through the mechanic's body. Even in his spacesuit, he was of a thin frame. Eric wondered if he'd even survive a punch from the woman.

"Well then, thanks for _nothing!_ I should've known you'd take her side." Jack huffed angrily, trying to hide the fear that was welling up inside him. Eric shrugged, tugging on his cable as he did so. The long white rope flailed about violently for brief moment before falling back into it's gentle wave. Before Eric could give his friend an explanation, the captain decided to bring them back to the task at hand.

"Eyes forward boys, we're almost there. Jon to Achilles, I've got eyes on the target. Requesting update on distance to destination?" Eric and Jack pushed forward their thrusters so that they were now flying side by side with their superior officer. Up ahead, the debris was beginning paint a clearer picture. The crates and propane tanks they had passed before were small in size to the damage that lay before them. Large plates of metal and steel beams swirled in a never ending rotation, occasionally colliding with each other, sending them into a new rotation. Right in the middle of it, lay their target.

"Roger that Extraction team, you are approximately 10 meters away from the target." Jonathan looked back at the safety cable trailing behind him. They had gotten a good distance away from the ship by now, and the cable was starting to lose it's wavy figure. The captain wondered just how much further he'd be able to go before the cable pulled him back. What if they couldn't even reach the target?

"Uh, Jonathan to Achilles. Is it possible that our position from the target might have been miscalculated? I don't think that the safety cable won't be long enough to reach the target, over?" As if to test the theory, Eric pulled on the leathery rope. The cable flailed past him until it's root straightened out, halting the rope's movement. The three astronauts watched as the rope spread out to it's maximum length, before making a U-turn back to Eric's position. Each of the men came to the same conclusion.

"It's not enough…." Jack announced, speaking everyone's mind. Jonathan hailed the ship again,

"Jonathan to Achilles, we've confirmed the cable is not long enough. Advise you reposition over?"

"Roger that. Alice reports that we are currently 60 meters from the target. The safety cables are designed to only go 50. We're repositioning now, hold your position." The three astronauts turned towards their ship.

From the rear of the ship, the giant thrusters suddenly sparked to life. Great blue and red flames burst out of the engines, propelling the ship into a slow forward thrust. The men watched as the Achilles slowly crawled towards them. After about a minute, the engine's abruptly cut off, and the blue flames were quickly snuffed out.

"Achilles to Extraction team. We've repositioned the ship, you should now have adequate cable length to retrieve the target, over?" Emma suddenly announced on comms.

"Roger that. Moving into extract the target." Jonathan replied. Using his jetpack, the captain turned back towards their target, with the other two following his lead.

Jonathan pulled down on the joysticks that controlled the jetpack's thrusters. Another burst of speed sent the captain shooting towards the wreckage, with his comrades close behind him. The closer they got to the wreckage, the more able they were to decipher the pieces amongst it.

One piece in particular, was of fascination to the captain. A large, metal frame, likely built onto the outside of a ship, lay on their left, hanging lifelessly. Printed in large yellow letters read the words,

SEEGSON

Tomorrow, Together!

The sight only worsened the captain's fears. Sevastopol station was the only facility this far out in the sector to be built by the company. Many manufacturers now turned to the much more successful Weyland-Yutani corporation, leaving Seegson with very few accomplished stations. This wreckage could only belong to Sevastopol. It was obvious then, that the station had somehow been destroyed, or damaged. But the question remained, as to how, and why? Jonathan's eyes turned back towards their target.

The figure was becoming clearer now, the bright that reflected off the white suit's exterior had died down, allowing better visual on it's positioning. Eyes narrowing, Jonathan examined the astronaut in a 'new light'. He was wearing a white E.V.A suit, as they had already guessed. With his legs brought up to his chest, and his arms wrapped around his body in a fetal position, Jonathan could only guess that he was trying to get warm as his body temperature fell.

"Extraction team, you are currently 5 meters from your target, over." Emma's voice announced.

"Roger that Achilles, we're moving in. Won't be long now." Eric responded. Jonathan began to pull ahead of the others, advancing towards the body with a new vigor. The answers were all right in front of him. What had happened to the station? Where was everyone? Why was he out here? How had he survived? Why didn't they call out for help, or respond to their hailing frequencies? All he needed to do was bring him back to ship and they'd be able to question him once he was brought back to perfect health.

"Jesus Jon look out!" Jack's voice caught the captain off guard, and he spun around to look at the source of the danger. Before he had a chance to figure out what hit him, a large object slammed into his chest, nearly fracturing his suit's armor. The sudden blow sent his head slamming into the back of his helmet, causing his eyesight to blur. All that he could make out, were the bright lights spinning around and around on the other side of his visor.

Adrenaline quickly pumped into the captain's blood, bringing in his survival instincts. He needed to stop spinning, otherwise he might be knocked too far off track. With his newfound energy, Jonathan swung his arms around blindly, trying in vain to grab at anything to stop the spinning. In his ear, he could hear the muffled yelling of the two other astronauts, but he couldn't decipher what they were saying; he needed to focus his attention on getting himself stable first!

Jonathan continued swinging his arms around, muttering curses with each failed swing. He had to grab something! There was so much debris out there! Surely he would come across something! After about a whole 60 seconds of swinging at nothing, Jonathan's hands landed on something solid. The captain frantically clamped his fingers down on the object as his weight suddenly worked against him, pulling on him with multiplied force in the other direction.

Letting out a determined growl, the captain pulled with all his strength to prevent himself from being pulled away. With each pull of the mysterious force, Jonathan let out a furious yell. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the force began to let up, and Jonathan's eyesight began to clear.

His hands grasped firmly onto a large metal beam that had been bent out of shape. The object had been floating calmly until Jonathan had collided with it, sending them both into a slow spin. The world had slowed down, and although it continued to spin, the captain was able to regain his bearings. If he let go now, he'd be right back where he started, but if he could stabilize himself with the jetpack, he'd be able to stop himself from spinning off track. Slowly he allowed his left hand to loosen it's fingers. Once he had let go of the beam, he reached his left arm down to his jetpack controls.

Closing his hand around the joystick, Jonathan gently pressed the stick to the side. A quick sideways thrust slowed his counterclockwise spinning, nearly ramming his head into the other side of his helmet. Jonathan let out a surprised grunt before fully letting go of the beam; if he held on too long, the beam would pull him back into it's continuous cycle. Slamming his right arm down on the controls, Jonathan pulled left on the joysticks. The second thruster stopped the beginning of an all new clockwise cycle, leaving the captain back in his steady state.

"Jesus! Oh god…..that was close….oh man…." Jonathan panted, bringing his hand to his chest as if to steady his rapid heartbeat. After a minute of just breathing, Jonathan reached up to his helmet to hail the others.

"This is Jonathan to extraction team and Achilles! I-I'm alright! A little startled but I'm alright!" A new realization came upon him as he looked around his surroundings. He didn't know where he was. The other two men were no longer in sight. Jonathan instinctively reached down for his cable - if he pulled on that, it would bring him back to the others position.

Where was the cable?

After feeling around for safety cord and grasping at nothing, Jonathan frantically looked down. The cable had been cut! Somehow, during his incident, the cable had been cut only a couple of feet from the hook that still hung lifelessly to his chest.

"Oh god, Jonathan, we thought we lost you! Where are you!" Eric's relieved voice called inside his helmet.

"Achilles to Jon! Jesus Jon, what happened out there! Are you alright!" Followed Emma's concerned call. Jonathan looked back at the cable, and then at the wreckage before him. The other half of his cable was nowhere in sight.

"I'm fine Achilles, I'm….I'm fine. My safety cable's been cut though, and I've lost my positioning. Requesting input for…." Jonathan's attention was quickly diverted from the call, to the white figure before him.

It was the rogue astronaut.

"Uh, say again Jonathan? We didn't get that last bit." Emma followed up. Jonathan stared at the figure before him. The astronaut was wearing one of the older E.V.A suits, a mark II probably. Seegson likely didn't have the money to afford the newer models. Jonathan's eyes traced up to the back of the head. Reaching out, Jonathan turned him over. The face he saw was the least he was expecting….it was his own. For some reason, the man had put down his visor, and the bronze shading reflected the captain's gaze into his own.

"Jonathan! Jonathan do you read! We've lost him again, get a heat signature scan ready to-"

"Wait! Wait I'm here! I….I'm here." Jonathan spouted as he tried to get ahold of Emma.

"God Jonathan what are you doing out there?" Emma questioned, obviously irritated at his slow response time.

"I've got the target. I repeat, I have the target." The captain announced. Grabbing the damaged cable, Jonathan brought the loose end up to his new passenger. Wrapping the tattered rope around his chest, Jonathan tied the loose ends into a knot. Giving the knot a good tug, Jonathan pushed the body away from him, testing it's firmness. He watched as his passenger floated away for a moment before snapping back, like a yoyo.

"Roger that Jonathan. Do you have eyes on the ship, over?" Emma asked. Turning his head back and forth, Jonathan searched for the familiar sight of the Achilles through the thick cloud of twisted metal. Just as his eyes passed another large plate of steel, he spotted the distant figure of the Achilles in the background.

"Affirmative, I have eyes on the Achilles. Making my way back now, over?" Giving his passenger one last tug, Jonathan reached down for his pack controls. Gently, he pressed the joysticks forward, bringing his thrusters to life, and rocketing him off towards the ship.

"Understood. Captain, Alice reports that the life signature is fading, you'd better hurry." Emma warned. Jonathan looked down at his passenger, and then back at the Achilles.

"Affirmative. I'll be there before you know it."

"Hawkins and Eric are making their way to the airlock, they'll rendezvous with you there. I'm sending Hannah and Dennis down there as well. They'll receive you once you arrive. Achilles out." Emma signed off.

Navigating through the wreckage was not easy. It seemed like every four feet, Jon would have to jolt back his joysticks, and pull on the cable to prevent his passenger from slamming his head into a metal wall. The worst part was, the environment kept changing. Every object continued to spin in a never ending loop, slowly shifting positions until the previous path was no longer an option, and Jon was forced to find a new one.

Looking about him, Jon looked for an opening. Just above him, two metal beams opened up to the familiar black openness of space. Pressing his thumbs down on the buttons situated atop the joysticks, Jon rocket upwards through the opening. As he slowed to a stop, he was reminded of his passenger when the body nearly pulled him back into another frenzied spiral.

"Watch yourself Major Tom, I need you here." Jonathan muttered as he pulled on the cord, stabilizing the body. Looking upwards, Jon now had a clear path to the Achilles. Up ahead, he could just make out two white dots making their way towards the airlock. Jack and Eric were nearly there.

"Alright Tom," The captain chuckled at his new nickname for his passenger, "Let's go." Grasping the end of the cord with his right hand, Jon pressed forward on the joystick with his left, shooting him forward towards the Achilles.

If what Emma said was true, he would need to hurry up the trip, otherwise this operation would've been for nothing. Jon allowed his left arm to pull away from the joystick, and down to the control set near his arm. Connecting the joysticks to the pack, was a long metal arm with a control panel built in. Jon's finger pressed down on one of the buttons in the panel.

The pressure that suddenly hit him forced his head into the back of his helmet as Jon was shot forwards at an increased speed. With the G-Forces pressing against his face, the captain was barely able to raise his head. He could feel the invisible pressure pulling at his cheeks, and nearly ripping his arm out of it's socket as he pulled Tom along like a kite in the wind.

40 meters. 30 meters. 20 meters. He was nearly upon them. Through squinted eyes, Jon could just make out Jack and Eric's figures floating next to the airlock entrance. With great difficulty, Jon raised his arm back to the control panel. His hand shaking, Jonathan forcefully pressed his finger down on the button again.

The world began to slow again. The forward thrusters in his jetpack activated, slowing his speedy arrival to a slower, less lethal speed. Jon watched as Eric spotted him, and raised a gloved hand in a wave. Jon grinned, and pressed his hand against his helmet, hailing the ship.

"Achilles this is Jonathan. I've got Major Tom in tow, and I'm bringing him in, over?" He could hear Jack laugh over coms, and Jon couldn't help but laugh with him.

"Roger that Jon. I'll open the airlock when you-"

Emma was unable to finish her sentence before a giant ball of flame erupted from the starboard side of the Achilles. Jonathan's eyes widened as the flames were quickly stifled, and replaced with an even scarier sight.

Shrapnel.

Debris floating at even a slow speed was dangerous enough in space, but shrapnel from an explosion could travel at the speed of a bullet.

And it wouldn't stop until it hit something.

Jonathan gasped as a large piece of metal nearly shot through his helmet. Using his thrusters to move to the side, the captain dodged multiple projectiles while keeping Tom close at bay. The explosion had rocked the Achilles, knocking it off it's previous orbit. The ship groaned as it slowly rotated in place, retracting from the sudden explosion.

Jon looked back at the airlock. The explosion had no doubt come from the rear of the ship, probably near the fuel storage, and the airlock wasn't too far from it. The captain frantically searched for his two comrades outside the ship with him. His eyes found nothing but flying shrapnel.

"Goddammit! Achilles come in! What the hell was that! Achilles, please respond-woah!" Jonathan ducked as another piece of metal flew near his legs. He was lucky enough to save his leg, but the captain's reflexes weren't fast enough to stop the metal from lightly grazing his suit. The captain's heart dropped as he heard the sound of air leaking out of his suit.

"I'm hit! Eric, Jack, where are you!" Grabbing at his leg, Jon found that grasping at it would do nothing to prevent the oxygen from leaving his suit. He would already feel the air beginning to get thinner. His breaths, while already frantic and labored, was beginning to shorten. He would need to save his talk for later if he wanted to make it back alive.

Taking a deep breath, Jonathan reached back down to his controls. The airlock was still open. He could still make it back inside! Pressing forward on the controls, the captain propelled himself through the hellstorm of shrapnel towards the open door.

Multiple pieces of scorched metal flew past his visor, but he paid them no mind. Looking at it would only cause him more panic, and more breaths. He was already running low on oxygen, and hyperventilation was the last thing he needed. Jon let out a violent cough as he took in another breath of air. He was almost there now; 10 meters. Five meters. Four. Three.

He spotted them. Jack and Eric hugged the safety bars of the airlock, facing the exit as Jonathan approached. They might've been saying something, but Jonathan couldn't hear them; he was too focused on getting in there in one piece. Taking a quick look back, Jon made sure that his passenger was still with him. Ensuring that he was still alright, Jon picked up his pace.

Two meters. Pulling back on his joysticks, Jon slowed his speed. One meter. Reaching out his hands to grab the metal bars, Jon grabbed hold of one of the safety bars with one hand while pulling back on the cord with the other, preventing Tom from crashing into the wall of the airlock.

The air was nearly gone now. Jonathan was beginning to feel panic rise in his chest as oxygen seemed to disappear from inside his suit. Opening his mouth, he breathed for air. He breathed, and breathed, but no air came. Looking down with bloodshot eyes, Jonathan eyed his oxygen levels:

Oxygen level: 2%

Jonathan would've sighed in relief as he heard the airlock doors close if he had had any breath left in him. As the doors closed, Jonathan let go of the bar, his strength slowly being sapped from his body. He couldn't feel his fingers anymore. It was so cold. He was shivering. The world was beginning to fade. He couldn't die like this! He needed to hold on, just for a little longer!

"Oxygen levels, stabilizing. Oxygen levels, stabilizing." He could barely hear mother report as gravity slowly pulled him down to the floor. As his feet connected with the floor, Jonathan could suddenly find that he couldn't stand, and his legs gave out from under him.

Falling to the floor with a thud, Jonathan reached up for his helmet to take it off. He needed to take it off! He needed to take it off! It didn't matter anymore, he needed to take it off! He needed to breathe! He was dying! He needed air!

His efforts were suddenly stopped as Jack rushed over to him, restraining his hands. What was he doing! He was going to kill him! The man screamed something at him, but Jonathan would hear none of it, the man was going to kill him! Jonathan's arms attempted to push Jack's away, but to no use. His strength was leaving him. As he felt the adrenaline drain from his arms, the two appendages fell at his sides with a weak flop.

Jack looked down at him, almost sympathetically. As if. The man had killed him. His own crewmate, in a sudden coup, had killed the captain almost without a fight. Jack suddenly looked up, like a bird when a predator neared. Jonathan's eyesight was blurring. He was losing consciousness….he couldn't hang on any longer….

And then he heard it. That all too familiar hiss of oxygen leaving one place and going to another. Only this time, it was filling his lungs.

Jonathan coughed violently as air flooded his deprived lungs. Life surged through him, sending more adrenaline into his muscles, and rejuvenating his strength. The man flailed about on the floor for a moment, coughing and wheezing with his eyes closed. Finally, when his breathing normalized, Jonathan opened his eyes.

When the figure looming above him registered as the man who had tried to kill him, his fist flung into action. Jack's face was suddenly knocked out of view by a fist, sending the Mechanic sprawling onto the floor. Pulling himself up so that he rested on his elbows, Jonathan glared at the man as he got back onto his feet.

"Dammit Jon I was saving you!" The mechanic spat. Jonathan waited for him to continue, partially because he couldn't respond on his own with his lungs being shot and all. The mechanic wiped away a trickle of blood from his lip,

"The process wasn't completed yet, you would've suffocated the second you took off your helmet! I was trying to help you!" He confessed. Jonathan's glare eased up, and he fell back against the wall, the adrenaline leaving his system as his body realized there was no enemy nearby to fight. Jack spat out some more blood before breaking into a grin,

"I've gotta say though….you've got one helluva punch cap." The mechanic snickered. Jonathan replied with a grin of his own. Suddenly, their attention was diverted to the other man in the room.

"Jack, help me get his helmet off! Quick! He's losing air in there!" Looking over at their new arrival, Jack quickly rushed to Eric's side. With Eric holding the heavy suit upwards, Jack quickly began working on unlatching the helmet. Fingers pulling off the last safety valve, Jack pulled off the helmet with all his might.

"Got it!" He yelled. All three men stared at who had been hiding beneath the suit. No one could've guessed….

"It's….it's a woman…." Jack announced. Indeed it was. Jonathan stared at the young feminine face. Her long black hair that was once held up in a ponytail was now covered in small flakes of ice. Her cheeks were pale and glossy. The ice on her body indicated that she must've been out there for some time.

"Who….who is she?" Eric asked. Reaching down into her suit, Jack felt around for her dog tags. When his hands brushed across the familiar beads of metal, he pulled them out. Grasping the frozen metal with both hands, Jack squinted to decipher the name.

"It….it says….Am….Amanda….Rid…Ripley…." Jack announced. The three men looked at one another. Amanda Ripley? Ripley? They had all heard that name before.

Ellen Ripley. Warrant officer aboard the Nostromo, a commercial freighter that was mysteriously destroyed about a decade ago. It had been a huge ordeal on the Weyland-Yutani corporation. Everyone seemed to know about it. But if this woman was in any way related to Ellen Ripley….

As if on cue, the door behind them suddenly opened up, and Dennis and Hannah quickly rushed in. The two doctors made a beeline to the figure on the floor. Pulling some equipment out of her bag that Jon didn't recognize, Hannah began to examine the frozen body. After about a minute of pressing the object against her skin, Hannah stood up looking at Jack and Eric, a worried expression on her face.

"We're losing her. We need to bring her to medical, ASAP!"


End file.
